Best Mozzarella Polenta With Roasted Vegetable Salsa Recipes

BAKED POLENTA WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
• Place the water, milk, and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the polenta and stir with a wooden spoon until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup Parmesan cheese and 2 chopped basil leaves; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the polenta to the prepared baking dish and arrange the remaining chilled pieces of butter over the top.
• Bake the polenta in the preheated oven until bubbly and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• Decoratively arrange the slices of tomato over the top of the polenta, spread the remaining basil leaves over the tomatoes, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Return to the oven and bake until the tomatoes are warm and the Parmesan cheese is bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.

CHEESY BAKED POLENTA IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut out a piece of parchment paper about 16-by-12 inches/40-by-30 centimeters in size and lay onto a clean work surface.
• Prepare the polenta: Add the milk, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper to a medium saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the polenta, whisking continuously, until completely incorporated and there are no lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the while with a spatula. When cooked, the mixture should pull away from the sides of the pan and be quite thick.
• Add the Parmesan, stirring for another 30 seconds to melt. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to the parchment paper. Use your hands to quickly shape the polenta into a large cylindrical shape, about 13-inches/32-centimeters long. Use the parchment paper to help you tighten the cylinder and then gently roll the whole thing in the paper, tightening as you go, then twisting in opposite directions at both ends. Refrigerate to set for about 1 hour, or longer if time allows.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Add the olive oil to a large, ovenproof cast-iron pan that is roughly 11-inches/28-centimeters wide, and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until softened and lightly colored.
• Stir in the garlic, red-pepper flakes and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, a scant 1/2 cup/100 milliliters water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside until needed.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius.
• Gently unwrap the chilled polenta and transfer to a cutting board. Trim about 1 inch/2 to 3 centimeters off the ends and then cut the polenta into 24 (1-centimeter-thick) slices.
• Top the tomato sauce evenly with the sliced fontina, then fan out the polenta slices, overlapping slightly, so that they're spiraled to cover the top, leaving a 1-centimeter gap from the edge of the pan. Drizzle the polenta with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until polenta is golden in places and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to settle.
• While the polenta cools, in a small bowl combine all the topping ingredients. Sprinkle a handful of the topping over the polenta and serve the remaining in a bowl alongside. Serve warm.

MOZZARELLA POLENTA WITH ROASTED VEGETABLE SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
• Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise. Cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise. Discard the ribs, seeds, and stem of the pepper. Flatten each half with your palm, pulling out any parts of the pepper that curve under. Set on one baking sheet. Cut the zucchini and summer squash in half lengthwise. Put all with the cut side up on the same baking sheet. Lightly spray all the vegetables with cooking spray.
• Broil about 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes. Turn over. Broil for 3 minutes, or until lightly charred.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining salsa ingredients except the parsley.
• Gently rinse the polenta under running water. Pat dry. Cut the polenta into 8 rounds and put on the second baking sheet. Set aside.
• Using a knife and fork, coarsely chop the broiled vegetables. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the vinegar mixture and parsley. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Broil the polenta for 3 minutes. Turn over. Broil for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and broil for 1 minute, or until beginning to lightly brown. Arrange the polenta rounds on plates, spooning the salsa on and around each serving.
• Cook's Tip
• The salsa is also delicious served at room temperature. For peak flavor, wait until serving time to toss the vegetables with the vinegar mixture.
• Cook's Tip on Polenta
• Look for prepared polenta (basically cornmeal cooked with water) in plastic-wrapped cylinders in the produce department or with the pastas. In addition to plain polenta, you'll also discover everything from Mexican-inspired combinations to polenta flavored with exotic mushrooms.
• nutrition information
• (Per Serving)
• Calories: 182
• Total Fat: 4.5g
• Saturated: 1.0g
• Trans: 0.0g
• Polyunsaturated: 0.5g
• Monounsaturated: 2.0g
• Cholesterol: 8mg
• Sodium: 537mg
• Carbohydrates: 25g
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugars: 7g
• Protein: 10g
• Dietary Exchanges
• 1 Starch
• 2 Vegetable
• 1 Lean Meat